Synthesis philosophica, Vol. 21 No. 2, 2006.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Democracy and Terrorism
Jesús Padilla-Gálvez
Sažetak
Following the bloodshed of 11th March 2004 in Madrid, a number of questions have arisen, questions that, according to our continental understanding of democracy, require prompt answers. A number of these questions have not even been asked yet by the intellectuals of Europe in general and those of Spain in particular. How can a democracy fight terrorism? This is deliberately referred to as the continental-European tradition in contrast to the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The latter has, yet again, embraced Hobbes’s old question and pleads for security at the expense of freedom in all uncertain cases. 11th March in Madrid demonstrated that the terrorist scene has been organising its finances through the trafficking of drugs and arms. Can the systems of democracy with their policies that rest on careful management measures control this black market at all? All these questions are linked closely to the good old question of the limits of freedom. How do we define freedom in a society that must arm itself for the fight against all forms of arbitrary acts of terror, authoritarian rules and various forms of fanaticism?
Ključne riječi
terrorism; democracy; Europe; Spain; continental-European tradition; Anglo-Saxon tradition; freedom
Hrčak ID:
12452
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.12.2006.
Posjeta: 2.658 *